INTERNATIONAL FEATURE - Chasing the Steelhead - By Jan Evans

CHASING THE STEELHEAD

Elusive, perplexing, challenging, considered by many as the ultimate game fish, and known among anglers as The Fish of a Thousand Casts: Oncorhynchus Mykiss, the steelhead. This fish belongs to the same species as the rainbow trout, but behaves more like a salmon. It hatches in the gravel bottoms of fast flowing rivers of the American Pacific Northwest, Russia, and, while not native to but introduced in 1876, the tributary streams of the United States Great Lakes.

After one or two years, the steelhead then migrates into the Pacific Ocean (or the Great Lakes), grows larger, with colour changing to that of silver and brass, black spots appearing on its back, and a lovely pinkish stripe emerges between tail and gills. After up to three years, it returns to the hatch river to spawn, but unlike a salmon, the steelhead journeys back to the sea, then returns again and again to its home river, spawning multiple times.

Stuart, an avid fly-fisherman living in Ireland, has fished Atlantic salmon, sea trout, and brown trout in Ireland, England, and Scotland, as well as sea trout in Argentina, but after several trips to the Canadian Province of British Columbia, and Northern California, the Fish of a Thousand Casts still eluded him. And so, when he announced he wanted to try yet again, I grabbed my cameras, he packed rods and boxes of self-tied flies, and off we went on a Winter fishing holiday, first to the North Umpqua River in Oregon State, and

A grab from a very cagey fish.

then to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, to fish the Bogachiel and the Hoh Rivers.

The North Umpqua River, a tributary of the Umpqua River, is famous for some of the most challenging steelhead fishing in the world, and while much of the river is available to drift boats and bait fishing, it boasts a thirty-one mile stretch of fly-fishing only, a fly-fisher’s dream. It’s a spectacular river, deceptively deep with a strong current, in places filled with boulders and crashing white water, difficult to wade with its extremely slippery river bottom, and true to its Native America name meaning “Thundering Water.” As challenging to fish as the steelhead are to land. Rising in the high Cascade Mountain Range, and known for its emerald water, a result of snowmelt during the entire year, the river has a reputation of both good Summer and Winter runs, though the Winter run of mid-January through March is much more weather dependent, and as we would be there in early February, Stuart knew he’d have to hope for the best.

Once we settled into our self-catering cabin near Idleyld, and got Stuart’s

We yearned to hear ‘Fish on!” so said goodbye to the North Umpqua. license sorted, we set out to explore the river, seeking the legendary pools where the steelhead were known to lie. At the time we were there, all wild steelhead were catch and release only, on single barbless hooks. Anglers were allowed to keep two hatchery steelhead per day, distinguished by a clipped adipose fin, but the Winter run is entirely wild. Much of the water is public, and as it is bordered by the Umpqua Highway, access is relatively easy. We passed one or two anglers who had scrambled down rocky cliffs to the river, but as the water was taken, we determined to come back to these places when they were free.

We discovered lovely trails through the woods leading to prime fishing spots, most of those near the historic and storied Steamboat Inn, a long established lodge which first began as the Steamboat Store, a small lunch counter operation which Clarence Gordon had opened near the junction of Steamboat Creek and the North Umpqua River.

Clarence later moved his store to the present location farther downstream, and in 1957, he sold his business to Frank Moore and his wife Jeanne, who in turn built the Inn as it stands today, overlooking some of the best fishing water on the North Umpqua. In 1951, Clarence Gordon, Frank Moore and many other anglers were instrumental in persuading the Oregon State Game Commission to change the regulations on the North Umpqua to fishing with artificial flies only for the thirty-one miles between Rock Creek and the Soda Springs Dam. The Steamboat Inn is also the hub of the Steamboaters, a group of anglers formed in 1966 who have determined to protect the natural resources of the North Umpqua, and preserve the area for fly-fishing only. Roderick HaigBrown, a Canadian writer and honorary member of the Steamboaters, in the 1960’s described this section of the river as “The North Umpqua remains one of the best and most beautiful of summer Steelhead streams…The strong flow of bright water is broken up by ledge rock outcrops, the pools are deep and long and hold fish well…” Because of the ongoing passion of the North Umpqua anglers, the crucial drainage of tributary streams as well as threatened spawning areas have been, and will continue to be, surveyed, rehabilitated, and protected by Oregon Government agencies.

Just a bit past the Steamboat Inn, Stuart spotted the place for his first cast on the North Umpqua. Nice streamy deep water with a lovely gravel bar, and underlying bedrock perfect for fish to lie. Surprisingly, the water was open, and with his 13’ 6” Sage double-handed rod and gear in hand, he hurried on the wooded trail ahead of me, eager to feel that clear blue-green water surrounding him, to hear the whistle of the line as it shoots out, hoping for the whir of the reel, the elusive steelhead on. He studied the water, chose to start with a ten foot slow sinking tip, selected a size 4 orange General Practitioner fly, and off he went.

But despite a tug, a nudge, then a grab, an almost take, and a few changes of fly size, the steelhead proved cagey yet again.

And so, after several disappointing hours, we moved to other likely places, but we continued to return nearly every day to the lovely Steamboat gravel bar.

For over two weeks, Stuart fished hard, every day, on every bit of that thirty-one mile stretch of the North Umpqua. We even went below the flyonly water, to Whistler’s Bend Park, where Stuart landed a few whitefish and

There was a feeling of perfection when we first saw the river right at our back door.

a small juvenile steelhead, but not the fish he was after. We found several choice spots up river, places popular with other anglers, and when those spots were free, we spent hours there, the water always so sublime that surely that Fish of a Thousand Casts must be lying just within reach.

But sadly, despite endless casts in so many places, it wasn’t to be, not on this river. Over the many days on the Umpqua, we met several other fishermen, all of whom were having the virtually same experience, few if any chances, and only hearsay of one or two fish landed. While it was early in the season, we all agreed that there should be more fish in the system. Stuart compared flies and gear with the local anglers, talked about the best pools, techniques, times of the day, depth of water, air and water pressure, sun, clouds, all of the things that can influence landing a steelhead, and everybody reached the same conclusion: even though the weather was generally pleasant above water, below was still too cold for the fish to actively run, the result of snow melt runoff from the mountains. The fish were likely settled much closer to the coast, or indeed, still in the Pacific Ocean, before running the approximately 110 miles to this flyfishing only section of the North Bogachiel River. Stuart dropped the Umpqua. bags, walked directly outside, stood on

While we thoroughly enjoyed our the small rocky bluff overlooking the entire stay along the North Umpqua, the river, gazing out over the water, his eyes gorgeous scenery, the daily picnics, the bright with excitement, sizing up the long walks through the woods, the potential. “It’s fantastic. Just look at that lovely water that always beckoned, water, that pool up there at that bend, always held promise of that take, that there, that’s the place,” he said, some cry of “fish on,” it was time to change sense of relief in his voice. “It’s rivers. So, we said goodbye to the North different, it feels different.” It did Umpqua, and on we went to the indeed, even to me. While the Bogachiel Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, is flatter, less turbulent, more consistent to continue the quest on the Bogachiel in width than the North Umpqua, at least and the Hoh rivers. where we were, there is an altogether

As an aside, we did learn that later in uncommon sense about it, the feeling February and through March, the somehow of, well, perfection? steelhead run resumed on the North We knew the cabin that we rented Umpqua, and while not with a huge was “on the river,” but we didn’t expect number, there were still plenty of fish it to be just outside the back door, the landed and released. We had been in the rushing water alternately calming and right place, but not at the right time. exhilarating. It was good to change

After a two day drive up the scenic rivers. It was the right place to be. He coast of Oregon and Washington onto knew it. But now, was it the right time? the Olympic Peninsula, passing through The Bogachiel is part of the the Olympic National Park, over the Quillayute River system, which along Hoh River, through the Hoh Rainforest, with the Sol Duc, Calawah and Dickey we turned off the highway onto a quiet, Rivers, drains into the largest watershed thickly wooded side road and arrived at on the north Olympic Peninsula. Its our secluded cabin. name is a corruption of the Native

Luggage in hand, we opened the American Quileute words “bo qwa door, and there, through the windows tcheel el,” meaning “gets turbid after a and glass door at the far end of the living rain,” “muddy waters,” or perhaps room, was our first view of the simply “big river.” Like the North

Umpqua, it is known for prime steelhead fishing, but as opposed to the Umpqua, the Bogachiel, and indeed most of the rivers on the Olympic Peninsula, are primarily Winter run rivers, with smaller Summer runs. One advantage to the Bogachiel is that it is not glacier-fed, and does not have a runoff period from melting snow, resulting in a longer fishing season. In addition, at a length of fifty miles, it is a relatively short river for the steelhead to navigate, with excellent fishing only fifteen or so miles from the ocean, approximately where we were.

As we arrived on a Sunday, we had to wait until the next day to drive the short distance into the nearby town of Forks to check the local steelhead fishing regulations, which were the same as those of Oregon: all wild fish catch and release, limit of two hatchery fish per day, single barbless hook. The Olympic Peninsula Rivers allowed, at the time, bait fishing from boats and the bank, but because the steelhead are in trouble, with fish runs in sharp decline, as of mid-December 2020, this is no longer the case. There is no fishing from boats, and all bait fishing is banned.

When in town, Stuart spoke to a few local anglers, and got some suggestions as to places to try where the access was public, so off we went to investigate the Bogachiel, but primary on Stuart’s mind was to find out how to get to that perfect pool across from our cabin.

We crossed a bridge, spotted what looked to be a forestry road off to the side that paralleled the river, and thought this a likely place to start. The road curved around, we lost sight of the river, the woods thick. We kept going for several miles, and though we were now a fair distance away from the river, it felt, sort of, that it was time to pull over, and slog through the woods, lugging cameras and fishing gear.

Slog we did, through boggy ground, past beaver ponds, Elk trails, crawling under and over briars, brambles, fallen trees, every other obstacle you could image, the cover so thick that no sooner had we followed an animal path, it disappeared, overgrown like nothing I’d ever seen. Stuart felt for certain that this was still the right way to go, but as the light was fading, and we weren’t prepared to wander around all night, we reluctantly decided to go back, and make a plan for tomorrow.

All evening he looked at that river, selected flies for tomorrow, stuffed all possible kit choices into his bag, and just before 5am, he was up, grabbed a torch as it was still completely dark outside, and was off, determined to get to that pool on the other side of the river. And me? Alas, I remained behind, sprawled in the bed, vomiting into a bucket from the stomach flu that had attacked me in the middle of the night.

About 30 minutes later, I felt guilty. What if I wasn’t there to see Stuart land his first steelhead? What if I didn’t get a photo? I got up, and sat in the living room, watching the riverbank as the first light started to creep across the woods, and then I saw him making his way out of the trees and up the gravel bar to the bend, to the pool. He’d found the path. I grabbed my cameras and gingerly stepped outside, hoping I wouldn’t vomit yet again as I clamoured over the rocks to a spot across from him. I waved, he waved, and just before he cast, another fisherman appeared. Rats,

Success at last - a fine Steelhead.

was Stuart going to have to share his perfect water? No, this man was gracious, and understood the unspoken etiquette of leaving the water to the first man on it, and when Stuart told him that he was trying for his first steelhead, Chris, as he was named, stayed on the bank with his dog, offering to help him land it, if he had any luck. Chris and Stuart, and the dog Quill, struck up a fast friendship that will continue for many years to come.

I watched Stuart cast into the neck of the pool, letting the fly swing around. He moved a bit. He cast again. Quill curled up on Stuart’s jacket. Chris stood by as Stuart stripped back, walked a few steps, and cast again, the fly swinging with the current. And then, from across the river, where I was perched precariously on a boulder, cameras in hand, I heard it at last. “I’m on! Fish on!” At last. The right place at the right time.

That fish fought hard, Stuart patiently working it in, then letting it run, following it along the bank, mindful that it was on a single barbless hook, letting the fish take its time, running out, slowly bringing it back, hoping it wouldn’t leap out of the water, dislodging the hook. After what seemed to me like an hour, but was in reality closer to ten minutes, the fish tired, and Stuart was able to get it to the bank, just at the tail end of the large pool.

And after years of trying, Stuart landed his first steelhead, a wild one, fresh from the Pacific Ocean, the Fish of a Thousand Casts. Some moment alright, and he was one happy angler!

He had used a 3 inch tube Mackenzie Cascade, but sadly he lost that lucky fly later the same day, snagged on rocks further downstream.

With the fish safely on its way up river, I went back to the cabin, and Chris took his turn at the same pool. But apparently it was only Stuart’s day at that pool, and while they both fished other water of the Bogachiel later that afternoon, there were no more chances to be had, not on that day.

As Chris, originally from Idaho, had been fishing the Olympic Peninsula rivers for over ten years, he suggested Stuart have a go on the Hoh, another top steelhead river we had driven over on our way to the Bogachiel. The Hoh originates at the Hoh Glacier on the northeast side of Mount Olympus, and is named for the indigenous people known as the Hoh. At about fifty-six miles long, the river flows west though the spectacular Olympic Mountains of the Olympic National Park, through the Hoh Rainforest, then through the foothills in a broad valley, and finally emptying into the Pacific Ocean at the Hoh Indian Reservation.

It’s a huge river, where access is alternately extremely difficult and very easy. For the most part, the fishable areas are public, but there are several choice spots that are reachable only by boat, or by scaling sharp bluffs by rope, then trudging through thick wooded areas for several miles, without any

trail. Because I had the heavy cameras, and it would have been impossible for me to repel down a cliff on a rope, we sought out a few of the easy places, deciding to forgo the rope swinging, for now anyway.

The Hoh, what a spectacular river, and right away, Stuart had several chances at another fish, no takes, but enough to whet the appetite, and on we went, casting, walking, finding new places, loving everything about the splendid days out, surrounded by the incredible nature, and only two or three miles from the Pacific Ocean, just at the beginning of the steelhead run.

A day or two later, while we were again on the Hoh easy access water, Chris texted, he’d landed a fantastic huge steelhead on a stretch of water that was, of course, inaccessible to anybody but a mountain goat (which I clearly am not), and he kindly asked Stuart if he’d like to join him tomorrow morning at 5 am. He offered to take him there, and over next few days, he’d show him his own favourite “secret” places. Now this was an opportunity not to be missed, spending time with another fisherman who had the same passion for what Stuart feels fishing is all about, the water, the solitude, the outdoors, the challenge, and ultimately, the respect for the fish. Needless to say, the next morning off he went hopeful, happy, excited, while I roamed around antique shops in Forks, did the laundry and went grocery shopping.

It was just past mid-day, I was sitting at the laundromat waiting for the dryer, and my phone beeped, a text, from a strange number. I checked it, it was from Chris, and there in the message, were photos of Stuart with another gorgeous steelhead. I was delighted for him, just over the moon, and while I wished I had been there to share his excitement, and get some photos for him, I was so very pleased that Chris was able to capture the moment on his phone.

So, after seven days on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, fishing hard on the Bogachiel and the Hoh, Stuart had at last succeeded in landing not one, but three lovely steelhead, the Fish of a Thousand Casts, as well as a sea-run cutthroat and a bull trout. A splendid achievement, and a perfect way to end our holiday, as sadly, the next day was to be our last. We reluctantly bid farewell to the spectacular rivers and forests of the Pacific Northwest, drove to Seattle, where we caught our flight back to Ireland, and now, we are already planning to return for the next Winter steelhead run.

“It’s an addiction, an obsession, the desire to connect with this fish, to feel the sharp, powerful grab of the fly, the reel singing as the fish runs, the cold, blue water swirling around me, the fish and I sharing the same world. It’s a feeling like no other. I will chase the Steelhead forever.”